Noach(Genesis 6:9-11:32)

Noah's Ark

We all know the story of this week's Parsha: God wants to send a flood to destroy the world, so He tells the righteous Noah to build an ark and bring in two of every animal. Then it rains for 40 days and 40 nights, God sends a rainbow, and Noah lives happily ever after. Right?

Well, at least it makes a good children's story. But given that the Torah is the driving force of the Jewish nation and the eternal source of our collective wisdom, let's take a few minutes to uncover deeper layers of "Noah and the Ark"...

Big Boat

Our first question: What was the terrible sin of Noah's generation that God sought to destroy them? The Talmud (Sanhedrin 57a) tells us that the world was immersed in jealousy, greed, theft, violence, lying, intolerance, deception and fraud. The worst of all transgressions? Explain the great commentators Rashi and Ibn Ezra: People exploited each other sexually.

Before God sends the Flood, Noah spends 120 years building an Ark. (They lived long in those days.) This was no ordinary boat. It measured larger than a football field and contained over a million cubic feet of space! It was outfitted with three separate levels: The top for Noah and his family, the middle for the animals, and the bottom for the garbage.

(Which, by the way, shows the Torah's unique concern for the environment: Even while the world was being destroyed, they wouldn't throw the garbage overboard!)

But there are obviously many ways by which God could have saved Noah. So why did Noah have to bother building an ark? And why did it take him 120 years?!

The Midrash says that God specifically wanted Noah to undertake a strange and unusual project, to arouse people's curiosity. God accentuated the oddity of it all by having Noah construct this huge boat ― not at the sea shore ― but on a mountain-top! This way people would ask Noah ― "What the heck are you doing?!" ― and Noah could engage them in discussion about the global crisis, and how catastrophe could be avoided if people would change their ways.

Well, 120 years is a long time, and you would think that Noah would have convinced a lot of people to get back on track. But alas, instead of reaching out to influence others, Noah saw the Ark as his own ticket to survival ― a chance to build a big wall and insulate himself from the evils of society.

One Big World

In one sense it is true that we have to protect ourselves and our families. Maimonides warns us about the danger of living next to neighbors who don't share our system of values. Where there's corruption, the good frequently get swept up with the bad. And we have to guard against this.

It's like the story of the community where everyone was employed as chimney-sweeps. Each day they went to work and got very dirty. But they had one rule: One person from the group had to stay at home each day ― so that when the others would return and see his clean face, they'd be able to gauge how dirty they'd become.

In a spiritual sense as well, a home has to stand as a safe haven, to rejuvenate and clean oneself up.

But there's a second side to this. The "Ark" cannot be completely insulated; it must be porous as well. We have to reach out and try to make a difference in the world. The Chasidic writings compare this to a wealthy person who needs to warm himself in the winter. He could build a fire, in which case everyone in the room would benefit. But imagine instead that he warms only himself with a heavy coat and blankets. In both cases he's warmed; the only question is to what degree he's concerned about others.

Even if we aren't willing to fix things out of altruistic love for others, then at least we should do so for ourselves. Because the reality is that no matter how hard we try, some "bad" does seep in. And in the end it will get us as well.

It's like the story of two guys on a boat, and one of them is drilling a hole in the bottom. "What are you doing?!" his friend shouts. "Oh, don't worry," replies the other, "I'm only drilling under my OWN seat."

The hole in the ozone layer does not discriminate. Drugs and theft and violence have no boundaries. Ignoring this reality was Noah's tragic mistake. He believed that he could lock himself inside the Ark, and escape from it all.

Noah's Painful Lesson

After the Flood ended, Noah re-emerged with his family onto dry land. The Torah records what happened next:

"Noah, the man of the earth, debased himself and planted a vineyard. He became drunk and uncovered himself in his tent. [His son] Cham saw his father's nakedness..." (Genesis 9:20-22)

When Noah emerged from the Ark and saw devastation heaped upon the world, he knew deep down that he had selfishly stood by and watched it all happen. Depressed and disappointed, he got drunk. Then "Cham saw his father's nakedness," meaning that Noah's son either sodomized or castrated him (Talmud ― Sanhedrin 70a).

It was a painful lesson for Noah, yet in a sense it was fitting justice. While Noah's generation sexually exploited each other, Noah thought he could ensconce himself in the Ark and escape. But it had penetrated inside.

The Jewish Fight

Every Jew recognizes that all the Jewish people are bound together. When there is a terrorist attack in Israel, we all feel it. The Talmud (Shevuot 39a) says "Kol Yisrael areivim zeh ba-zeh" ― every Jew is responsible one for another.

I once heard Rabbi Motty Berger of Aish HaTorah speaking to a group of Holocaust survivors. What he said impacted me for the rest of my life. He told them: "When I was a child, I would look at my grandparents and wonder, what were they doing during the Holocaust? The fact that millions of Jews were being placed into ovens was no secret; these horrors were reported regularly on the front page of the New York Times. So I wondered... were my grandparents out raising money to help ransom Jews? Were they organizing secret rescue efforts? Were they demanding media attention and marching on Washington?"

Today, the Jewish people are fighting wars on many fronts. The very existence of the State of Israel is being questioned in world forums. Anti-Semitic acts around the world are mindful of 1938. And there is the cancer of assimilation, where every year, 50,000 Jews between the ages of 20-29 opt out of the Jewish people, lost to us forever.

So what are we going to do about it? Because one day, our own grandchildren will look at us and wonder...

Taking Responsibility

The Kabbalists explain that "taiva," the Hebrew word for "ark," also means "word." For they are two sides of the same coin. Each of us wants to build an ARK ― the best life possible for ourselves and our family. Yet at the same time we are obligated to use the power of WORDS to reach out and influence others. Noah was given 120 years to build his "taiva." So too, we are given 120 years ― a full lifetime ― to do the same.

What can we do? We can speak out against garbage in our rivers and garbage on TV. We can attend a Torah class and teach over what we've learned to others. We can understand clearly why humanity must refuse to tolerate gossip and infidelity. We can organize a community campaign to demand objectivity in the media.

Noah's failure to try and influence his generation is why the Flood is called "the waters of Noah" (Isaiah 54:9). Don't think the problem isn't affecting you. Because it is.

Visitor Comments: 20

(19)
Yael,
October 26, 2014 4:02 PM

Methinks some people missed the point.

Noach was NOT disappointed in G-d, nor guilty because G-d had given him passage. He felt guilty because he had not used the opportunity of 120 years to reach out and convince people to repent. Had he done so, perhaps more people could have been saved. We too much reach out to our fellow Jews and teach them what we know to bring them closer to G-d. So many of us insulate ourselves, whether because of protectionism, character flaws, embarrassment, or lack of self confidence. But we see from Noach that we must overcome those personal objections and talk to others about Judaism. Excellent article.

(18)
Anonymous,
October 25, 2014 1:05 AM

(SAME)

This gives me impact and ideas on how to live right.

(17)
David Dale,
October 23, 2014 11:10 PM

Disagree with some portion of lesson.

Sir, I totally disagree with your comment that Noah, on setting foot on the earth after the flood, he 'selfishly stood by' and saw all this happen and then got drunk!!! Should he have argued with HaShem and NOT do as he was told? How can you possibly come to this conclusion that he was disallusioned and disappointed at what HaShem had judged the world for what was being done at the time? Was his concern for mankind greater than that of His Creator? Come on Rabbi. Where on earth did you get this 'revelation' from??

David Dale.

(16)
shreknangst,
October 23, 2014 4:30 PM

nice read in

The book, Genesis of Genesis, shows the mathematical basis of the patriarch ages. It also points out the wisdom of the writers who ensured the transmission of the math by adding known myth and philosophy to the structure... so as to guide changes in law and custom.
Noah and ark contain the Shem Error (a 3-year adjustment) sand explains why we live 120 years rather than close to 1000. Oft ignored is that bit about the sons of God and daughters of man ... philosophically and theologically ripe for an article like this.

(15)
Yohanan,
October 24, 2012 4:49 PM

Excellent study Rabbi.

(14)
Allen,
October 8, 2010 11:10 AM

commentaries

Acc. to the commentary Rashi, the final sin that sealed the world's fate was stealing; "chamas" in Hebrew.

Hardwired,
October 18, 2012 3:09 PM

chamas means violence

(13)
samuel,
October 5, 2010 6:41 PM

ii reading your realy in true lesson dear rabbi chraga
we tray to shur the good way to the children and we
ave titsh to em the good principe i am shur the do
bicose the ave lurn the houmash . shalom

(12)
Anonymous,
July 22, 2010 9:57 PM

Good D'var torah....... easily accesable

I read Rabbi Simmons's d'var torah on Noah. I thought it had good thoughts and a particularly strong accent on not being selfish and reaching out to the community. It gave me a lot of food for thought in writing my own d'var torah on Noah for my bat mitzva. I would have never found this website or found out about Rabbi Shraga Simmons if it weren't for Google. That is why I am commenting on this in July.

(11)
Mike Weinstein,
October 30, 2008 11:47 AM

Thank Hashem for Rabbi Shraga Simmons

No doubt, the world would be a better place if every Jewish person in the USA, whether reform, conservative, modern orthodox, or orthodox, read Rabbi Simmons every week.

(10)
ata,
October 27, 2008 2:51 PM

wonderful

thank you so much for taking your time to write these articles. i really enjoy them, and i am sure that because of them many people are brought closer to Hashem, or at least learn a small lesson and because of that do a small act of kindness, which carries on... because of your aritcles, the world is a better place!!!

(9)
Julius Watler,
October 10, 2007 12:25 AM

We are all connected

Thank you for a very meaningful lesson. I try to convey the same message to others. Many young people can be turned toward constructive living, if their peers and elders would realize that we are all connected, that their cannot be "salvation" in a box, but that we are all one-humanity, family and race.

(8)
Michal,
October 9, 2007 2:51 PM

How do we know that Noach did not talk with people?

When he was building such an extraordinary kind of ship, surely people gathered around him and spoke about him and surely with him. And I think, he answered them. But as they were bad, they did not want to listen. 120 years was plenty of time, to get interested in his doing.Nevertheless, you told us very clearly what we should do. May every Jew do what is in his might. And if that is not much, let him pray and talk it over with Hashem. No prayer is in vain.

(7)
Aviva,
October 9, 2007 8:49 AM

Correction about the New York Times

Just a correction:In the section titled "THE JEWISH FIGHT", in the 2nd paragraph you cited the rabbi who said that the horrors of the Holocaust were regularly being reported on the front page of the New York Times. That is not correct. In fact, the New York Times hid the reports about the Holocaust deeper into its pages. Please look up this book to learn more so you can cite the material with factual back-up: "Buried By The Times: The Holocaust and America's Most Important Newspaper", author Laurel Leff. I heard her speak in person two years ago in New York City. She was extremely informative.Keep up the great, inspiring work with your week parshah!

(6)
Catherine Manna,
October 7, 2007 1:01 PM

Thats really beautiful said!!

I loved what you said about taking responsibility you said "Let's commit to taking responsibility - for ourselves, our family, our community, our world. You are so right!! I found this book "You Are My Witnesses" The Living Words of Rabbi Marshall T. Meyer He says and i will quote him," I believe that without faith in God, we as Jews will loose our reason for being, and will no longer be witnesses bearing testemony" "Tsadik be'emunato yihyer. the righeous will live by virtue of their faith Amen" Isaiah 43:10Thank you, for the inspiration!

(5)
LeviBright,
May 31, 2006 12:00 AM

Noah had it all wrong

Selfishness might have entered into Noah's actions because over the 120 years of building his "getaway" vessel, he did little to awaken people about what was going to happen. It is also to be remembered that he was doing as God asked of him almost to the letter. His obedience to God should at least be commendable perhaps.

(4)
Eliyahu,
November 8, 2004 12:00 AM

exceptional

I just finished reading your article on Noach. It is a wonderful and enlightening article. This is not to say that your other articles are not, but this one strikes me as exceptional and deserving special praise. May G-d continue to bless you with wisdom and good health.

(3)
Jonathan Freeman,
October 9, 2002 12:00 AM

Strong commentary with moral message

As always Rabbi Shraga delivers a great message. I particularly enjoyed this one as it delivered an uncompromising moral message as well. This is all too lacking in our world today.

(2)
Anonymous,
October 17, 2001 12:00 AM

an insightful, educational and inspirational Dvar Torah.

thank you for your Dvar Torah. I learned about the parsha and how this Torah portion applies to my life. your insight has given me the proper focus for the rest of the day G-d willing.

About the Author

Rabbi Shraga Simmons spent his childhood trekking through snow in Buffalo, New York. He holds a degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin, and rabbinic ordination from the Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem. In 1997 he became the founding editor of Aish.com, and later the founder and director of the Torah study website, JewishPathways.com.

An expert on media bias, Simmons was the founding editor of HonestReporting.com, building it into a leading database of pro-Israel activists, where his work was cited by the New York Times as effecting sweeping changes in Mideast media coverage. He is the author of the definitive treatment of the topic, David & Goliath: The Explosive Inside Story of Media Bias in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (2012), which James Taranto of the Wall Street Journal calls "of crucial importance for the future of the Middle East."

In 2012, Simmons produced the critically-acclaimed short film, "Red Line on Iran," outlining a peaceful solution to stopping nuclear proliferation in the Middle East.

Rabbi Simmons currently serves as the Director of Aish Communications, handling all marketing, public relations and media activities for Aish HaTorah International.